Cap-manipulating machine.



LE HOY FISH.

CAP MANIPULATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Dec. Is. IQII.

i,188,639. Patemed June 27,1916.`

5 SHEETS--SHEET I.

LE ROY FISH.v cAP MANIPULATING MAcHxNE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.18. 1914.

Patented June v27, 1916.

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daim e .s s'es LE ROY FISH.

CAP MANIPULATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 05018. 1914.

1,188,639. l PIIQHIQIIJHH@ 27,1910.

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LE BUY FISH'. CAP NIANIPULATING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. I8, 1914.

1,188,639. Patentedlfune 27,1916.

Q y. 47 *i 0 l LE ROY FISH CAP MANIPULATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 18, 1914.

11,188,639 I Patented June 27, 1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

M'zfwe sseg UNITED STATES PATENT FFIQE.

LE ROY FISH, OF NEW BERLIN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 BORDENS CONDENSED MILK COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

CAP-MANIPULATING MACHINE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 18, 1914. Serial No. 877,947.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LE ROY FISH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Berlin, in the county of Chenango and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Cap-Manipulating Machine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the manipulation, c. the sorting, and delivery, of caps, or, more specifically, to their orderly withdrawal from a Apromiscuous aggregation thereof, their correct positioning when thus withdrawn, and their delivery, marslialed in procession, in single file, to a desired location, whence, by automatic means, each cap is severally separable from its associates, and, thus isolated, further advanceable for any purpose, as, for example, tomeehanisms adapted to place and crimp it in a can to be thereby sealed. The caps to which my invention, in this instance, particularly relates, are of the well known, circular, peripherally-flange-d, metallic, rough-edged, dished type adapted for closely fitting insertion into the usually small openiiws (say one inch diameter or less) of metallic, cylindrical, cans now largely used as containers for perishable food products such as condensed milk.l It has hitherto. I believe, proved impossible to satisfactorily sort such caps, and place them in the filled cans ready for sealing, except by means of an operators, therewithcontacting, fingers, which is undesirable because of cost of such skilled labor, injury to the-fingers from the irritating edges of the caps, and risk of thus imparting to the goods undesirable germs.

The objects of my present invention comprise provision of means whereby such, and similar, caps may be sorted, and delivered, as aforesaid, and then advanced toward, and placed in, the cans without contacting the operator. My means for so advancing, and placing, the caps are more fully disclosed, and are claimed. in my herewith cotemporaneously tiled application for patent, Serial Number 877.946. vI attain my said objects, in so far as they relate to the aforesaid sorting, and delivery, of the caps, by aid of the herein-claimed novel devices, and Combinations of devices, illustrated in the aecompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of parts of a machine incorporating my sorting and delivery means, and my above referred to capfeeding, and placing, devices. Fig. 2 is, on an enlarged scale, a horizontal central section of my tumbler, on the line 2-2 of Fig.' l, and showing partly in plan and partly perspective one half of its interior, and also a top view of my magazine and some of its accessories, part vof the top being broken` away; Fig. 3 is, on substantially the scale of Fig. 2, a side elevation, viewed from the left of Fig. 1; Fig. l is a central vertical longitudinal section (on line 4-4 of Fig. l) of the tumbler and magazine showing portions of their interiors in perspective; Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4t; Fig. 6 is a similar section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, the pulley being omitted; Fig. 7 is, on still larger scale, a diagrammatic plan indicating the procession 0f caps in the chute and some of the means for isolating and delivering one toward the placing instrumentalities; Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic detail view of one of my guiding actuators in action on a Cap; Fig. 9 is a plan of mutally adjacent parts of the chute, the magazine, the deiector, and the sorting-plate. partly in section, taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 6 and seen in the direction of the arrow; Fig. l0 is a perspective of a fragment of my sortingfplate showing how a cap becomes. sometimes, caught in one of its openings; Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view, partly in central vertical section illustrating the type of cap, and of can, herein particularly referred to; Fig. 12 is a similar View, but showing the cap iange in its position after its crimping to seal the can; Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the interior of my tumbler to more fully illustrate my cap actuating and guiding devices and their relative dispositions; Fig. 14: is, on the radial line m--m of Fig. G, av section of the arc-shaped part of my magazine seen in the direction of the arrow.

Referring to the drawings, one type of the aforesaid caps to which my invention is particularly applicable is designated, in its entirety, as 14, and consists principally of a disk-like body portion 111, having a therefrom angularly-extending annular neck 14" (dimensioned to closely fit the usual opening 15a of a cylindrical can 15), and surrounded by a therefrom outwardly flaring, annular, flange 14C normally parallel with said body (Figs. 11 and 12), such caps being thus essentially dished, or bowl-shaped. These caps are usually produced, and stored for use, in large aggregations, or lots, in which they are more or less mutually nested together, and in other respects positioned, relatively to each other at numerous angles, in a confused and disorderly mass, out of which, to thereby seal the cans, they must be brought, one by one, into the position relatively to the latter indicated in Fig. 11, z'. e., properly placed in the openings of the cans. In aid of this required manipulation, I provide, for reception of the caps in their disorderlyl aggregation, a novel, rotatory, cap-container, or tumbler, indicated comprehensively by A, of truncated-colloidal form, rotatable on a horizontal axis as shown, and comprising, concentric with, and extending transversely of, said axis, a diskshaped end-portion, or sorting-plate, 1G, secured to a body portion, likewise concentric, and extending convergently from said plate toward said axis. The inclination thus imparted to the interior o f the tumbler is important to assist desired movements of the caps therein hereinafter described. The expanded end portion, or sorting-plate, 1G, of the tumbler contains a plurality of like open` ings, 17, of conformation such as to admit passage of caps therethrough only singly, and when similarly positioned relatively thereto, z'. e. each opening, as shown in Fig. 5, corresponds in shape tothat of a medial transverse section of the cap shown in Fig. 11. The openings are moreover, as shown in Fig. 5, so dispositioned in the plate, relatively to said axis of rotation of the capcontainer, as to admit passage of the caps therethrough only when the top of the cap is presented toward said axis and in a plane parallel with said axis. It follows, as is of importance, that no cap can pass through an opening except when in the same position relatively to the axis.

The location of the openings is, as shown Ona circle adjacent to the inner periphery of the plate and of the tumbler, and rotation ofthe latter would doubtless result in occasional haphazard passage through an opening of a cap tumbled by such rotation into requisite position relatively thereto; but, to stimulate sufficient frequency of such desired positionings and passages of the caps, I provide cap-actuating and guiding devices consisting, in this instance, of a plurality of like, similarly disposed, longitudinally extended, members, 18, secured to the inside of the tumbler, each similarly inwardly projecting therefrom into its interior, and longitudinally extending toward one of said openings in a direction obliquely angular to the plane of the plate, andto all planes embracing said axis. This angulation of the actuators, or guides, is important in that it enables them, through rotation of the tumbler, to catch against the caps as they tumble, to raise them on edge thereon out of the mass properly positioned, and, by reason of their track like character, angular direction, and change of inclination relatively to the cent'al axis of the tumbler, roll them toward the said openings, when, if a cap be correctly, as aforesaid, positioned, it will, if of normal shape, slide readily through the opening, toward which the guide on which it rolls leads, and be thus, in desired position, sorted out from the4 disorderly aggregations in the tumbler. Though a single such opening and thereto-leading actuating-guide would produce this result, multiplication thereof assists passage of the properly positioned caps in satisfactory quantity within a given time. It will be noted that the tread of each actuator is, as shown in Fig. 8, and as is important, disposed so as to slightly overlap the thereto adjacent edge of an opening, thus insuring that the edge presents no obstacle to the cap.

To accelerate, and intensify, the tumbling of the caps and thus facilitate their separation if nested, and the actuators and guides, 18, in the performance of their functions, I prefer to provide the tumbler with a therewith unitary, and concentric, section, or extension, A', likewise of truncated-conoidal shape, but having its cylindrical sides less acutely pitched, z'. e. less convergently extending, toward the common axis of rotation. 'Io A I secure a plurality of longitudinal, projections, or cap-agitators, 19, extending inwardly toward said axis in directions oblique to those of the actuators or guides 1S.

To facilitate insertion of the caps in mass into the tumbler, and to guard against their exit therefrom otherwise than through the above described openings, I provide a, thereto relatively stationary, member, or hopper, 20, open at the top and otherwise contacting with the outward edge of the extension A of the tumbler.

rlhe hopper and tumbler are supported, and rotation imparted to the latter, in any convenient manner ;-in the present instance, as shown, by aid of a stationary rod, or shaft, 21, held by a set screw, 22, in a bearing, 23, carried by a bracket, 24e, constituting part of the stationary frame F of a cap-placing machine disclosed in my referred to cotemporaneous application for patent. The sorting-plate, or apertured disk, 16, of the tumbler A is secured to a rotatable sleeve, 25, carried by the stationary shaft, 21, which sleeve carries a pulley 26 which is rotated by means of a belt 27, operatively connected with the main shaft 28 of the machine, thus imparting revolution to the tumbler. rlhe hopper 20 is secured to the shaft 21 by a set-screw 29, as shown in Fig. 4.

I provide novel means to complete the sorting of the caps, including their orderly delivery, to a desired location after their passage through the openings 17 in the tumbler. These means comprise, adjacent to the tumbler, a thereto relatively stationary member', or magazine, comprehensively designated as B, and adapted to movably support said caps. It contains a downwardly-inclined pathway, 30, disposed to receive them when projected thereinto through the openings 17. This pathway is, in part, curved, or arc-shaped, as shown, concentrically with the axis of rotation of the tumbler, and one side thereof is disposed in alinement, or register, with the openings 17 in the plate 16 which otherwise incloses it on that side. The curved portion of the pathway thus extends, and registers, in the present instance, for about a half circle, thus providing for simultaneous delivery thereinto of several caps, and for correction of jamming as hereinafter described. pathway is moreover, in this instance, continued downwardly. below the tumbler as at 30', through an inclined extension B of the magazine B. The pathway is throughout so dimensioned as to therein slidably receive, and guide, the caps in the same position in which they enter it, and in a procession in single file (see Figs. 6, 9, 14, etc). The pathway is, to this end, suitably bounded throughout;in this instance, in its arced portion, on three sides, by the magazine B in which the pathway is recessed (see Fig. 14) and on the remaining side by the disk 16, and, in its downwardly inclined extension, by a floor piece 31 carrying lateral guidemembers 31a having inwardly projecting, cap-overlapping, flanges 311 (see Figs. 6, 7, and 9. etc.). The magazine B, and its extension Bf., are. in this instance, stationarily supported as follows A bracket 3'2, adjustably secured to the frame F, by a setscrew 3Q. carries, secured thereto by screws 316, the floor 31, to which B is secured by aid of the plate 33 attached to both by screws 33 (see Fig. 6). The magazine B is provided, preferably, with a slot, or opening, B3, (Figs. 4fand 14), in its inner side, through which the caps may be observed, or even reached if necessary.

I provide means to retain, in the pathway as desired, the procession of caps.A These, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 7, comprise a movable element, in this instance, a stoppin 34, normally disposed in said pathway so as to bear against the foremost cap of the procession vand thus restrain it, and the caps held back thereby in the pathway, from being advanced by gravity; also vanother movableelement or stop-pin 35 normally disposed at one side of said pathway a little in advance of the second cap so restrained. The stop-pin 34 projects upwardly into the pathway through a transversely disposed opening, or slot, 31d in the floor 31, and similarly the stop-pin 35 through a similar slot 31.

I provide means to move the stop-pins in, and out of, the pathway as follows:-The pin 34 is carried by one end of a horizontally disposed, and oscillatable, arm, or lever, 34u the opposite end of which is revolubly secured to the under-side of the floor 31 by a pivotal connection 34". The pin 35 is similarly oscillatably-carried by a similar lever 35 similarly secured to the floor by a pivotal connection 351. The stop pins project downwardly below their said levers. A plate 36, disposed beneath said levers, is slidably connectedl with, and carried by, said floor in any usual manner, as, for example, a thereby carried headed screw 36, the shank of which passes slidably through a central longitudinal slot 36h inthe plate, and the head of which overlapping the edges of the slot prevents the plate from falling.

The. plate 36 contains an angularly extended opening, or slot, 36, through which slidably extends the lower part of the pin 34, and another similar, but oppositely disposed, slot 36C, through which similarly eX- tends the pin 35. It follows from this construction that, starting from normal position shown in Fig. 7 in which the pin bears against the foremost cap 14 of the procession, thereby stopping it and its followers in the pathway of the magazine, movement of the plate 31 in the direction of the arrow a, shown in Fig. 7, will cause the pin to move into the pathway 30 and against the cap 142 which is then bearing against the foremost cap 14'; the pin 35 will thus push the cap 142 and its followers slightly back from the cap 14 and will stop them in the pathway. The same movement of the plate will cause the pin 34 to move out of the pathway thus releasing the cap 14 to continue its gravity slide down the pathway to the desired point of delivery which is, in this instance, adjacent to the opening of a can 15, as shown in Fig. 1. l

In my above referred to herewith cotemporaneous application for Letters Iatent, I have, in greater detail, shown, and have claimed, these last mentioned means for separating the foremost cap from. the procession and delivering it to cap-placing instrumentalities, but I refer to them here also because important to the successful industrial operation of my cap-sorting devices, herein more particularly described, in order to claim them in combination with the latter.

For a better understanding of the nature and operation of my improvements herein claimed, I have also shown in Fig. 1 their combination with the cap-placing machine of my referred to cotemporaneous application. It will thus be seen that I have provided means whereby the actuation of the cam-plate 36, and its resulting isolation, and delivery, of a cap Whenever required, is controllable by a can as follows, viz z-The cans are, by any well known means, intermittently advanced in procession, in the direction in which Fig. 1 is seen, over a table 37, indicated in section (Fig. 1). Such means may, for example, be the endless sprocket chain provided with usual flights and other accessories shown in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,029,326, granted to Burt Eugene Taylor June 11, 1912, and are too well understood for detailed description here. Each can, 15, is thus, in turn, advanced and temporarily supported in the position shown in Fig. 1, wherein it is held centered with a superdisposed plunger 38, detailed description of which is also unnecessary to understanding of my present invention. In the pathway of the can, during its said advance, is normally disposed in the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, an antit'riction roller 39, carried by the downwardlyextending arm 40 of a trip-lever oscillatably carried on a bracket F of the frame F by a pivotal connection F2. The upwardly-extending arm 401 of said trip-lever is pivotally connected at 40". with one end of a link 41, the opposite end of which is, as indicated by dotted lines, pivotally connected to the upper arm 42 of a lever, oscillatablycarried by the frame F by means of a therewith pivotal connection F 3, which lever comprises also a lower arm 421 pivotally connected as at 42D with the longer arm 43 of a bell-crank lever oscillatably-carried by a stationary pin 43, carried by a bracket B2, carried by the inclined extension B of the magazine I. The short arm of said lever is vpivotally connected as at 43b with one end of a link 44, the opposite end of which is likewise, as at 44, similarly connected with the aforesaid cam-plate 3G. From this construction it follows that a can l as it, as aforesaid, advances will contact and crowd out of its way the roller 39 thus actuating the trip-lever, and causing the camplate 3G to move upward to liberate, etc. a cap in the magazine as above described. The trip-lever and its aforesaid connections, including the cam-plate, are, when liberated by further advance of the can after placing` therein of the cap, restored to normal positions by the action of an expansile spiral spring, 45, through which the link 41 is threaded, and one end of which bears against a bracket F4 carried by the frame F, and its other end against a stop carried by the link 41.

Inasmuch as it sometimes happens that a cap is so exceptionally, and abnormally, distorted, or proportioned, as to jam in an opening 17 of the plate 16, through which it starts to pass, and is thus held undesirably protruding, into the pathway 30 of the inagazine in the position, for instance, indicated in Fig. 10, it is obvious that other caps which may be in the pathway above it must be thereby forced therein upward and might thus clog the machine. I have therefore provided means to meet this contingency as follows Near the upper end of the magazine B is, in the floor of the pathway 30, a downward opening 30a (Figs. 2, 4 and G) suiliciently large to admit passage therethrough of any cap in any position. Carried by the magazine, adjacent to and underlying said opening, is an inclined chute 4G leading therefrom downwardly toward a position occupied intermittently by an opening 47 in the end-plate 16 of the tumbler A, which opening is, in all its dimensions, larger than the hereinbefore described openings 17 in said plate. It follows that caps encountered in the magazine above a jammed cap are, by the latter forced upward, in the pathway, whencel they fall into the chute 46, and thence back into the tumbler through the opening 47 whenever the continuous rotation of the lat-- ter causes it to register with the downwardly presented outlet of the chute. To prevent caps passing from the tumbler into the opening 47 I provide a stationary disk, or guard-plate, 48, sleeved upon the rod 21 and thereto secured as by a set screw 4Su (Fig. 4, etc.). This guard-plate blocks the opening 47 during its rotation except when it registers with the chute 4G at which point the guard plate is cut away as indicated in Fig. 4.

To insure liberation of the jammed cap, and, incidentally, to close the openings 1.7 when not in register with the curved portion 30 of the pathway of the magazine, I provide a stationary member, or plate, 49, for the most part of semi-circular form secured to the plate 33, and to the iloor 31 of the inclined pathway, by screws 33 as shown in Fig. (3. The major portion of this plate is disposed in a single plane so as to simultaneously block the openings 17 during that half of their rotation in which they are not opposite the magazine, and its upper portion is inclined, in this instance curved, transversely of said plane so as to present increasing, though somewhat yielding, resistance to the jammed cap as the latter is forced against it by the rotation of the plate 16. The result is that thejammed cap is finally effectively pried out of its lodgment in the opening to fall back into the tumbler and this by an ejector so yielding, (the plate 49 being preferably composed of metal and so thin as to. be resilient,) that the operation of my machine is not seriously, if at all, affected.

The operation is as follows: The caps are charged promiscuously into the tumbler in quantity, preferably, sufficient to about half fill the latter. As the tumbler constantly rotates in the direction indicated bythe curved arrow Z in Fig. 1 the caps are rolled about, thus constantly changing their positions, which results, from time to time, in a cap being properly caught against one l of the inclined actuator-guides, 18, riding on which, it is thereby lifted out of the mass, and, owing to the inclination of the guide, rolled thereon by gravity, as on a track, toward that opening in the tumbler toward which said guide leads. If such cap happens to be in proper position when it reaches the opening, c'. e. its top in alinement with 'I the correspondingly extended portion of the opening, it will slide through the latter into the pathway of the magazine in which Ait is thus correctly positioned, i. e. top uppermost, for all subsequent operations thereon. If, on the contrary, the cap reaches the opening in reverse position it will merely collide with the edges of the opening and fall back into the mass ofvcaps in the tumbler to await another chance. Thecaps are thus automatically effectively sorted and positioned, and with rapidity and accuracy. Arrived in the pathway the correctly positioned cap promptly slides down the latter until it encounters the uppermost stop-pin, or, more frequently, a predecessor in descent where it remains until finally liberated by the above described operations of the stop-pins whether actuated as controlled by a can or otherwise. If a properly positioned cap on reaching an opening in the end plate of the tumbler finds it blocked by other properly positioned caps in the pathway of the magazine it merely falls back into the tumbler for another try. If a cap jams in an opening it merely forces the caps above it in the pathway upward until they drop through the opening 30a in the floor of the pathway and thence drop back into the tumbler, after which the jammed cap, liberated by the ejector, likewise drops back. Thus,

without vinterruption in the operation of the machine, the caps are, one by one, picked out of their therewith promiscuously intermingled associates, separated therefrom, positioned as required, and in that position maintained and delivered as required to a location at which vthey are to be operated upon for any desired purpose.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following,.viz:

l. In a cap-manipulating machine, rotatable on a horizontal axis, a cap-tumbler comprising an end extending transverse said axis, containing an opening conformed to admit passage of caps therethrough only singly and when similarly positioned relatively thereto, and inclined from said end toward said axis a side carrying a projection extending inwardly toward, and so as to overlap the thereto adjacent edge of, said opening in a direction obliquely angular to said end and to all planes embracing said axis.

2. In a Cap-manipulating machine, rotatable on a horizontal axis a therewith concentric truncated-conicaly cap-tumbler having one end transverse said axis containing an opening conformed to admit passage of caps therethrough only singly and when similarly positioned relatively thereto, and extending inwardly toward, and so as to overlap the thereto adjacent edge of, said opening a projection obliquely angular to said end and to all planes embracing said axis.

3. In a cap-manipulating machine, rotatable on a horizontal axis a cap-tumbler comprising, concentric and at right angles with said axis, a disk-shaped end containing a plurality of like openings each conformed to admit passage of caps therethrough only singly andV when their tops are presented toward said axis, and a body likewise concentric comprising, extending convergently from said end toward said axis, a section carrying a plurality of projections each extending inwardly toward one of said openings in a direction obliquely angular to said axis and to all planes embracing it, and, extending from said last mentioned section less convergently toward said axis, another section carrying a plurality of projections extending inwardly in directions oblique to those of said first mentioned projections.

il. In a cap-manipulating machine, rotatable on a horizontal axis a therewith concentric, truncated-conical, cap-tumbler having disposed adjacent its periphery in a plane transverse said axis a plurality of alike openings each conformed to admit passagevof caps therethrough only singly, and, disposed nearer its said axis, another larger opening; adjacent said cap-tumbler a thereto relatively stationary magazine having an arc-shaped pathway adapted to receive caps projected thereinto through said alike openings and thereinto to movably support them in mutually-contacting single file; adjacent the upper end of said pathway a downward opening therein; an inclined chute leading from said last mentioned opening toward a position occupied intermittently by said larger opening in said captumbler; adjacent the end of said pathway through said larger opening into the eapa delector disposed. transversely thereolf, tumbler and the said jammed cap is itself Vand means to rotate said cap-tumbler, Wherefreed and likewise forced to fall back. by caps are projected through said openings LE ROY FISH.

5 into said pathway and Whenever a cap jams Vitnesses:

in an opening the caps above it in said WALTER ENGELS, pathway are thereby forced to fall back WILLIAM J. HOPKINS. 

